


Intentions

by sidsaid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Charities, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Smut, charity work, not much to tag here tbh, reylo prompt fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-01-23 08:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsaid/pseuds/sidsaid
Summary: ‘Every time Rey contacts FO on behalf of the charity she works for, Kylo Ren refuses her. Weirdly, the next day they always receive a significant anonymous donation. What a strange coincidence.’- A Curious Cat Prompt Fic
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 43
Kudos: 539
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My friends wouldn’t write it for me, so I suppose I had to. I had this at 90% done for so long, so I completed it as part of Nano. Hope you enjoy!!! Lol

‘No donation is too small,’ Rey urged, her teeth gritting together, frustrated in how desperate she was beginning to sound. 

Lunchtime had come and gone and the day had been full of unanswered calls, or Rey being hung up on. It was the third week of the month and she had filled 75% of her required monthly budget – a not very paltry sum of $20,000. For a charity as large as Resilient Futures, and apparently for an associate as good as her, it was a cake walk. 

The size of her donation budget was partly the fault of a singular anonymous donor on her list, and Rey had the inclination, because of the fact that the sum was always an annoying collection of 9’s – $99, $999, or last month’s $9,999, that it was the same person. The donations appeared under her reference during moments of sheer desperation and always after an utterly defeating verbal fight with the Outreach Director of First Order Pharmaceuticals. Whoever they were had gotten her noticed by senior management, and the head of her department – Artimage Hux – had taken it upon himself to up her budget. Three months ago she’d been at $8,000, and then suddenly she was assumed to be the charmer of charitable rich people and companies. 

It didn’t matter that her list of potential donors did not change, that she could only squeeze so much more out of the same people, or annoy the ones who didn’t give a shit about children’s literacy one more time. 

The dial tone of a hung up call rang out and Rey closed her eyes, stifling her frustrated growl before pulling her headset from her head and placing it by her side. 

‘Hey, it’s not like they’ll fire you if you don’t hit your target,’ Rose commented from the desk across from her. 

Her expression told Rey that she didn’t even believe her own words. Rey could only knock her head on the faux-wood of her desk and groan. 

‘Who have you got left to call this month?’ 

Rey dragged her forehead against the desk, her eyes glancing over the remaining names on her clipboard for the day. ‘Small fry, other than First Order, and what’s even the point? Those evil bastards never donate, and I end up just wanting to go to their giant stupid high-rise and pluck the eyebrow hairs out of their Outreach Director, one hair at a time.’ 

‘Why eyebrows?’

‘Because I bet he has massive stupid eyebrows that meet in the middle.’ 

Rey had, had approximately five calls with Kylo Ren, the Outreach Director of the First Order Pharmaceutical and Technology Conglomerate. She dialled in with such high expectations, and then hung up dreaming of putting him in a choke hold and then suplexing him through a pyramid of coke cans in the middle of a grocery store, to the cheers of children and adults alike. 

It wasn't like he was rushing her off the phone. He just made her talk longer and longer, answer more and more questions _ – _ it didn’t matter if they were ridiculous or not _ – _ until he’d finally say ‘No thanks, we’ve hit our monthly charitable donation quota already’ and hang up without another word. It drove her insane, and Rey compared it to edging, except she never achieved climax _ – _ she never got his damn money. 

If Rey had wanted to, she could have replayed her part of the conversation and just filled in the gaps with what he had said, but it was easy enough to remember her low-lights of the month. 

_ ‘Hi?’ _

_ His voice sounded distracted, but Rey built up her best sparkling tone and responded regardless. _

_ ‘Morning, Mr Ren. This is Rey Johnson calling from Resilient Futures. I’d love to continue our conversation from last month about getting more resources into downtown schools.’ _

_ There was silence for a second and Rey could hear shuffling before he cleared his throat. ‘Ah yes, I remember. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to help last month.’ _

_ Rey withheld her annoyance – his tone didn’t sound particularly apologetic. ‘That’s perfectly alright, Mr Ren.’ _

_ ‘How has it been then…since last month? What new initiatives have the brains at Resilient Futures come up with now?’ _

_ She couldn’t quite tell if he was being sarcastic, so tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if he had given her a poor impression on every other phone call. _

_ ‘We’ve put fifty more computers into inner-city schools, and Alderaan Heights Elementary in lower Chandrila now has a permanent teacher who specialises in helping kids with learning disabilities. Our aim is to get at least one of these teachers into every elementary school in the city.’ _

_ ‘That’s an ambitious plan. What time frame were you guys thinking?’ _

_ Rey felt her brow twitch, but answered regardless. _

_ ‘By 2025 we hope to get teachers trained up and in schools, though it takes more than just money to have this plan executed.’ _

_ ‘It’s nice to know that you care enough to have the answers.’ _

_ Rey swallowed. ‘Of course, Mr Ren. Literacy is the first stepping stone to a child’s future. Without proper literacy, there is a knock on effect that reverberates all the way to adulthood. A child can never escape a failed education.’ _

_ ‘And you wouldn’t say it relies upon the parents? That they shouldn’t be taken to task?’ _

_ ‘In a time where 14% of the population live under the poverty line, parents can often be required to work over 40 hours a week to provide for their kids, and this sets them an impossible task. When even the state is failing the children they have in its care, we need to judge our national schooling and education to much higher standards. This is where Resilient Futures fits in.’ _

_ ‘I’ll have to cut you off there Miss Johnson. Unfortunately we haven’t got the budget for Resilient Futures this month, though I’ll be sure to let you know if we do.’ _

_ The dial tone rang out and Rey closed her eyes, daring herself not to cry. It worked sometimes, though it had a pretty weak effect today. _

That had been the second time. The third time, Rey had been crying, though that had only partly been Kylo’s fault, and either he hadn’t noticed, or he hadn’t seemed to mind. Someone had decided to eat her lunch, so it got to 4pm on a Wednesday and she was starved and exhausted, so when he grilled her for fifteen minutes on RF’s role in after-school childcare reform, she’d felt her throat close and tears begin to sting. 

Then he’d relayed to her what he thought should be done – and while Rey couldn’t say he was particularly wrong, the fact that he’d ended the sentence with ‘sorry though, our budget is filled for this month’ after a thirty-minute phone call when she was 20% down with three days of the month left, made her want to commit murder. Rey had ended up leaving straight after, preferring to be disciplined for leaving early rather than crying at her desk – even if Rose was the only one who would have noticed. 

Rey had considered handing in her notice the next day, which would have been a stupid thing to do on a whim, considering her rent wasn’t going to suddenly pay itself. Though she’d looked on the portal, and she’d achieved her target – somehow – by a donation of $999. The same as the two previous months. The only thing in common with them all besides the nines, was the strange reference code. 

It was after the fourth call – when she’d had her target upped to $10,000 because there had been a donation of $9,999 with her reference attached – that she’d called for Kylo Ren's blood. 

He’d seemed unnaturally chipper, which Rey felt was immediately ominous. What kind of person who worked at a pharmaceutical company was chipper? Especially when he seemed to take pleasure out of rejecting her requests. 

Rey had huffed and he’d paused, asking her if she was okay. The faux-niceness only pissed her off more, and she half-heartedly streamed through her latest script, just wanting to get her call of the month with him done. It didn’t matter if First Order never agreed to donate, if he was on her call-list, it was a call she had to make. 

‘I admire your tenacity, calling every month,’ he had murmured, and Rey imagined herself sticking her foot up his ass. ‘You’re very eager for a partnership with FO.’

‘I’m sorry we haven’t been able to make it happen,’ she had replied tightly, her jaw straining under the weight of her frustration. 

Kylo hummed in agreement and seemed to be distracted by something. ‘I hope that even if FO can’t help directly that progress is still being made. You are reaching your targets, right?’ 

Rey paused, trying to sort through the responses she was supposed to give if ‘targets’ were ever mentioned during calls. It was the one thing that was absolutely, without a doubt, banned.

‘You’re not allowed to talk about that, are you?’ 

So he was purposefully setting her off, Rey had thought, hating him even more. 

‘Not to say that RF isn’t an absolutely novel charity, but I know there must be a lot of pressure on you. Especially when companies like First Order won’t sponsor, so you’re relying completely on small-time donors.’ 

Rey cleared her throat, reigning in her annoyance. It was as if he took satisfaction out of running her in circles with his ‘the budget is fixed’ remarks, instead of being straightforward with her – that they weren’t interested, and he could do that within the first thirty seconds of their calls. But he didn’t. He’d taken to using all of her time – and Rey wasn’t allowed to hang up first – and acted as if he was really interested in what she had to say. 

It killed her confidence every time, because it made her feel like a joke. She was the joke of some highly-paid director – who’d probably been given the ‘Outreach’ department because he had no other transferable skills and had gotten into First Order on nepotism alone. Rey shouldn’t have been surprised, so the fact that she had to call him again this month just frustrated her more. 

She was going to get fired. She was sure of it. Last month had been a fluke. And the month before that, and the month before even that. 

Rose chuckled, disrupting Rey’s thoughts and she heard her friend typing for several moments, before her laughter increased. 

‘What?’

‘This Outreach Director guy definitely does not have one eyebrow.’ 

Rey grimaced. ‘You googled him?’ 

Rose nodded, and Rey began to bundle herself up, dragging herself across the tarnished grey carpet and over to Rose’s desk.

‘LinkedIn,’ she answered, scrolling.

‘But you don’t have LinkedIn.’

‘Yeah, I’m logged in to yours.’ 

Rey almost stumbled out of the chair as she sped up her movements, slamming directly into Rose’s chair and pushing her halfway to the door as she looked at the screen.

‘What do you mean you’re logged in to mine? Why? Why would you search up my mortal enemy using my account?’

Rose laughed, scrunching her nose up. ‘What’s the big deal?’

‘Because he’ll see that I searched him, and he’ll put two and two together by the company name and then he’ll know it’s been me calling him and once he knows what my full name is, and what I look like, it’ll be easier for him to send a hitman and—’

‘I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.’ Rose interrupted, lifting her discarded coffee up from her coaster and taking a long glug of the tepid liquid. 

‘Kylo Ren is just the type of psychopath, I’m telling you Rose.’ 

The woman rolled her eyes and gestured with her chin towards the screen again. ‘At least add a face to your suspected killer.’ 

Rey glared, but looked all the same, and she let out a loud and angry grunt that left Rose cackling again. 

‘That’s an Armani suit too,’ Rose commented, hiding behind her caffeine. ‘So he’s not only rich, but unnecessarily good looking.’

‘And hates children, and poor people.’ 

Rose smiled. ‘Well isn’t that what you’re here for? To convince all of the rich to become generous for the poor, uneducated children?’ 

Rey grumbled as she slowly began to slide her way back to her desk. 

‘Are you going to call him?’ Rose called.

She just sighed in response and placed the headset on her head again. Rey didn’t even need to look down at her list to get the number. From all of the memorable phone calls she had shared with Kylo Ren, it had become carved into her brain, very much like his reptilian voice and lasseiz-faire attitude to everything she was saying. 

The phone rang for several moments and Rey sighed, waiting – he always picked up on the eighth ring, as if to get rid of any tedious calls, so only the patient would get the opportunity – no the privilege to talk with his eminence, Director Ren. 

‘Good afternoon, Miss Johnson.’ 

Rey was silent for a moment, wondering how his caller ID was that good, before she stumbled out her usual fair of — ‘Hi this is Rey calling from Resilient Futures, who inspire to make every young future as bright as the stars in the sky.’ 

‘You realise you don’t need to do that every time, I know who you are,’ he answered, and there was a humour in his tone that Rey immediately found annoying. 

‘My side of these calls are recorded,’ she murmured, before continuing. ‘Mr Ren, I know we spoke last month regarding the work we are doing here at Resilient Futures and the role a potential partnership could play between RF and the First Order.’ 

He hummed in affirmation, though Rey could hear he was holding back his chuckles. 

‘I understand that last month your budget allocation was filled, though hopefully we’ll be able to find a way for First Order to be a benefit to the local community—’

‘In a way that goes beyond just scamming the locals for every penny they have?’ 

Rey was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath. ‘Mr Ren, the work we are doing here at RF has seen literacy rates in the region increase ten-fold in the last year, and we hope to continue that push. With the assistance of the First Order, we hope to begin lobbying for educational reforms that mean we will not be necessary in the future. For every child to be guaranteed an education and the extra help they may need.’ 

‘I’ve always been meaning to ask,’ he murmured casually, seemingly ignoring everything Rey had said. ‘Tell me if I’m being rude, but what made you want to work for Resilient Futures?’ 

She sighed, doing her best to cover the receiver and she rested her head against her desk once more. Rey was ready to hang up – or even start her tirade on how much of an asshole he was, but for fear of being fired and absolutely not wanting to be looking for a job again, she decided to answer. ‘Resilient Futures was instrumental during my own childhood, so I want to pay it forward, and help other children who may be in the same position I was in when I was younger.’ 

Kylo hummed, seemingly liking the answer, which annoyed Rey immensely. She wasn’t some easily consumable story. Then she heard something in the background – it sounded like a basketball bouncing down a court.

‘Where are you?’ she asked quickly and without thinking. If her logs were brought up, this easily would have gotten her disciplined. 

‘At the rec center,’ he answered casually, and Rey heard the clear screech of sneakers on hardwood floor. 

‘But I rang your office phone.’

‘I get my calls diverted to my cell, that’s why it takes a bit for me to answer,’ he supplied. There was a laugh beside him and he joined in. ‘I’m not usually in, it’d be a bit strange if I was an Outreach Officer and I spent all day inside.’

Rey huffed. ‘So you play basketball all day?’ 

Kylo chuckled and his attention seemed to be back on her. ‘I’m watching some of the kids from Takodana High School play. First Order pays for their uniforms.’ 

The woman was silent for a moment, trying to compute that the First Order actually gave money to other people. 

‘So you have a budget?’

‘Huh?’ Kylo mumbled and his voice came distantly ‘Hey, you nearly took my head off with that shot, Tye.’ 

Rey cleared her throat. ‘You actually have a budget allotment?’ 

‘Of course, that’s why we’re not able to work with you. It’d be nice, but the CEO wants to concentrate on sports,’ he paused and sighed. ‘Seems more like he’s looking to find the next big high-school basketball player who came from the _ streets _ through these programmes. It’s not like I have any control over that part of the business, though.’ 

‘You just watch kids play basketball all day,’ she mumbled.

‘I’m not that lazy.’ She could hear the smile in his reply, and Rey leaned up off her desk, absently staring at her screen. It was like seeing him through a different lense, suddenly, and Rey was beginning to get the distinct impression that she had misjudged him terribly. 

‘What else do you do then?’ she questioned. ‘What’s a day in the life?’ 

He was silent for a moment and he cleared his throat. ‘You really want to know that? Why? Are you looking to poach my job from under me?’

Rey chuckled and she shook her head as if he were right there in front of her. She saw herself in the reflection of her now darkened computer screen, and grimaced at the school-girl like grin on her face.

‘Sometimes I’m scheduled to drop in where we donate most – as I said, it’s mostly sports ventures. Charities, local council initiatives, sometimes just a school coach who is looking for funding from almost anywhere. I make deals, I try and get my boss to give me more money to donate, and to more than just sports – for school lunches, for better facilities at some of the schools in the city that the government care less about. It’s…’ he sighed heavily. ‘It’s frustrating sometimes and I want to do more, but I can’t.’ 

‘You sound like you should be running for city council, not running how a pharmaceutical company spends its pocket change.’ Rey responded, straight forward. 

Kylo laughed again. ‘You think?’ 

‘I think that I hated you an inordinate amount before this conversation and you’ve changed my mind. If that’s not city council material, I don’t know what is.’ 

‘I thought you said this call was recorded.’

‘Well it’s already over for me if someone decides to give it a listen.’ 

He huffed a laugh that Rey liked listening to it far more than she should have. ‘It’s only taken you six months to be honest with me.’

‘And considering the path this conversation took, I’ll probably be fired by the end of the month.’ Even if it was a horrifying thought, it didn’t stop Rey from laughing. 

Kylo cleared his throat. ‘I’m sorry, Rey,’ he murmured. ‘I keep trying to find the budget, but it’s not —’

‘No, that’s okay,’ she interrupted. ‘I’ll just call again next month.’ 

He was silent for a moment. ‘Just...try and call again next week, yeah?’ 

Rey sighed, but agreed to it anyway. If her ratio of minutes on call, to monetary return were poor, that would be another thing she’d be caught up on, and that was before even thinking of all the things she absolutely should not have been saying. 

There was still an hour left of her working day and Rey found herself logging into LinkedIn and typing Kylo Ren into the search box. Since Rose had already exposed herself to his account, it didn’t matter if she perused again. 

Rey scrolled through, reading through his history and realising that she’d made him out to be a bigger asshole than he actually was. He seemed relatively normal – despite clearly having been well-off or a super-genius since birth, considering his two degrees from Dartmouth and Yale and the relentlessly long list of accolades that came from a million institutions. 

She sighed and closed the tab, looking back at her budget dial. It resembled a speedometer and she was still trundling down the high-way, causing a back-up three miles long, with every single driver in line behind her, honking to get her to hurry up. Even though Rey wasn’t particularly bad her job, she was the only one at her pay level with a budget of $20,000 as she apparently had the ‘high-profile clients.’ 

Rey watched the little dial bounce – being built up by tiny increments of $1 a month payments she’d managed to get out of some households, that would never push her to her required amount.

Rose brought her a cup of coffee eventually and patted her hair before grabbing her own coat and leaving, while Rey absently watched the dial, using her stapler as a gun and her screen as the target, as she sprayed it with tiny aluminium shrapnel. 

Sighing, she got up once the sun began setting and turned off her computer, bundling herself up in her coat and leaving work, trying to figure out what she could actually do if she got fired because of poor performance during a single month. 

**XxX**

It couldn’t have been right.

Rey refreshed the screen several more times, trying to figure out what kind of glitch or virus could have catapulted her numbers – which had been around $5,000 12 hours ago, to what was now $25,246. She waited for the system to update – which updated unreasonably slowly in comparison to the banking results, and then clicked through, sorting through all of the donations that had been made.

And as if by divine intervention, it was there. $19,999. She gasped aloud, because it had to have been a joke – but then who played a joke with this much money? 

The only thing she could think of was what if this person didn’t stop? What if they donated $99,999 next month and then she’d really be in shit. 

Yet the person wouldn’t even leave a first name as a hint, just her reference and ‘BSolo’. Rey almost felt like she should be creeped out that somebody could want to send this much money – and was it because of her? The people she contacted were usually pretty open about how they spent their money, so what was this now? 

She frowned, clicking off the screen. 

With a week left, she wasn’t sure what to do now. If she kept calling potential donors, then her numbers would just get higher and that would make Hux’s head swell bigger until he raised her limit to $30,000 and Rey definitely knew she’d have to quit then, because that amount of pressure would definitely give her an aneurysm. 

‘Are you just going to stare at your screen all day? You can’t have hit your target already.’ Rose called across to her, typing away on her screen.

‘I did,’ Rey mumbled. ‘The mysterious benefactor strikes again.’ 

‘How much this time?’ 

‘Almost twenty thousand dollars.’ 

Rose blew out a whistle. ‘You think whoever it is, is in love with you?’ 

The sound that burst out of Rey’s mouth was akin to a popping balloon and Rose started to laugh. 

‘They aren’t exactly doing it right if they’re not leaving a message with the donation, Rose.’

‘Good point. Perhaps you just have terribly good luck.’ 

Rey considered that for a moment, leaning back into her chair, her hands resting on her stomach as she looked at the ceiling, trying to figure it all out. She heard footsteps pass their area of the office, so she leant up again, finger on the mouse, absently clicking away.

Her browser opened automatically on the last page it had been on – Kylo Ren’s LinkedIn, and she scanned over it again, reading in finer detail the different sections and wondering whether he had filled in this information, or it had been an assistant.

She decided to click back onto google and type his name in – knowing that LinkedIn wasn’t exactly going to give her the full answer.

There were a lot of results and Rey bet he was the only person on the planet with that name, so she knew they all belonged to him.

Newspaper articles – local, regional and national – making note of his charity work, his role in political activism and education. Her search was very superficial, even if Rey did like switching to the images tab and scrolling through pictures of his shirt’s sleeves rolled up, showing off his unreasonably toned forearms. Or after a charity run, doused in sweat in just a vest and shorts. She couldn’t find anything before the last five years, though. There were no links to the institutions he’d gotten his degrees and qualifications from, no mention of friends or family. He seemed more caricature of a public figure than anything, and she frowned, wondering what that meant. 

‘You wanna come with Finn and I for lunch?’ Rose asked, standing up and pulling her bag over her shoulder.

Rey blinked at her, eyes sore when she realised she’d been researching Kylo Ren for three hours straight and had read far too much about him – to the extent that even if he was fake, she kind of liked him. 

**XxX**

Rey nibbled on the bottom of her lip, her leg tapping under her desk as she listened to the phone ring eight times. 

It was her fault, really. The fact that she’d reached her target gave Rey the excuse to relentlessly research Kylo Ren as if she had suddenly become a private investigator, searching for his birth secret. And she’d found it impossible to stop and it made Rey half rabid with unanswered questions. Was his whole life engineered? Was he actually human or an android or clone of someone else? The First Order weren’t exactly an entirely scrupulous Pharmaceutical company, so Rey could imagine them having human clones on staff. The CEO, Andrew Snoke, seemed enough like one.

Kylo picked up on the eighth like usual and they were both silent.

‘So do I talk first or you?’ He asked.

‘Technically this call isn’t being recorded,’ she blurted. Rey was using her allocated monthly allowance for personal, unrecorded calls. This was a stupid idea and she was aware of it. 

Kylo swallowed, loud enough for Rey to hear and she closed her eyes, trying to talk herself into this. ‘So are you attempting to blackmail me, or…?’ 

‘No…I just wanted to know about how...how you found yourself as Outreach Officer for First Order Pharmaceuticals?’

‘Hmmm,’ he didn’t sound convinced. ‘I thought that when I asked you to call back after a week, you wouldn’t be the one asking questions.’ 

Rey considered his answer and her brow furrowed. ‘So you were just relentlessly asking questions to keep me on the line longer?’ 

‘Does that make me a bad person?’ 

‘It depends on your intention.’ 

He chuckled. ‘I don’t think I want to comment on that.’ 

‘Then answer my question.’ 

‘I was head-hunted from my previous job, and now I’m here,’ he commented. ‘Have been for five years.’ 

‘What was your previous job?’ 

He cleared his throat. ‘Does it matter?’

‘If I say that you’re an inspiration, would that change your mind enough to give me an answer?’ 

Kylo laughed then, loud. 

‘If we were one of your donors, and I came down to RF, could you ask me that directly?’ 

Rey grumbled and it seemed to spur on his laughter. 

‘Look, I went on a google-spree and nothing came up before five years ago. Tell me the truth Mr Ren, are you a human clone?’ 

‘Now that is the strangest pick-up line I have ever heard.’

‘It’s not a pick-up line!’ Rey hoped her outrage sounded authentic. 

‘At least since my whole life isn’t on google, I can have organic conversations like this.’ 

Rey groaned, trying to do so quietly and to hide her embarrassment. ‘I’m just going to start with an apology. This was incredibly unprofessional of me.’ 

Kylo chuckled. ‘It’s fine, though I am glad you did call. I think I’ve managed to set aside some of our budget for you. It has to be for after-school programmes, though.’ 

‘Is that why you were grilling me so much about that?’ 

‘Did you think I was just pretending to be interested?’

Rey was silent for too long and he sighed lightly. ‘Is there one good thing you think I’ve done at all?’ he questioned. 

‘Uhmmm.’

‘I think I might take back what I said before.’ 

‘No no, don’t do that,’ Rey said, almost panicked, though stopped when Kylo started to laugh. 

‘Take my email address and we can see what we can work out.’ 

Rey grinned, nodding and reaching for her pen and notepad, jotting it quickly down.

‘Thank you, I look forward to working with you.’ Rey finally said before hanging up, breathing out loudly before grinning and leaning back in her chair.

Rose sauntered in with a coffee then, looking over at Rey with interest. ‘Something else happen?’ 

‘I think I got a First Order deal.’

‘Not just a donation?’ 

Rey shook her head. ‘Potentially not.’

‘Does that mean that director will come here?’

She paused. ‘I hadn’t considered that.’ 

‘Seems like that would be a pretty big deal, might even get you promoted.’ 

Rey was almost bouncing in her seat – half excited that she’d actually managed a deal that would at least get her a leg up on the next month’s budget. Then there was the fact that after all her online-stalking, she was thoroughly interested in meeting the mysterious director. 

She clicked the new email button and Rey swiftly went to composing an email to Kylo, her fingers drifting over the keyboard and dragging and dropping the relevant pamphlets related to their after-school clubs across the state. 

Once she’d sent it, the reply she received was almost immediate:

_ Thursday, 2pm? _

A calendar invite came through immediately after, and Rey clicked accept without replying to the email, before opening her outlook calendar and staring at the solitary Thursday meeting. 

For a moment, she wasn’t sure what she was more excited about – finally getting some money out of the First Order, or meeting Kylo. 

**XxX**

Rey straightened her skirt again, angling herself more comfortably in one of the hard chairs in the meeting room. The phone was beside her, and she waited patiently for a call from the reception to notify her that Kylo was here. Her paperwork was stretched out on the desk in front of her, and she’d already brought in two glasses and a jug of water. 

Clearing her throat, her eyes ran over her notes again. She heard the door be pushed open, and glanced away from her paper briefly, before the pen froze in her hand. 

‘I thought I’d make this easier.’ 

There was a velvetness to his voice that Rey hadn’t quite caught on the phone, that had her toes tingling in her pumps, and she almost stumbled on the chair leg as she stood. 

‘Oh, uh, hi… Director Ren.’ She smiled, briefly overwhelmed by the size of the man. Though he wasn’t the tallest man she’d ever met, it did feel as if he took up the entire room with his presence. He was smiling at her, and she was wary of it almost, it was far too disarming to be real. 

He slipped his satchel off his shoulder as he reached for her, his hand out. Rey grasped it, his large appendage drowning hers out, and she was reluctant to let go of its warmth, especially considering the aircon that blasted through the small meeting room. 

‘It’s good to finally meet you,’ he murmured. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while.’ 

Rey cleared her throat. ‘You have?’

Kylo nodded and pulled out the chair at a right-angle to her, surprisingly, considering she’d made space across from her. She didn’t expect him to sit so close. ‘You’re the only Fundraiser I speak to in this entire state who actually sounds like they care.’ He paused, tilting his head, his smile warm. ‘I don’t know, it kind of made me feel like we were kindred spirits.’

She didn’t know quite how to respond to his words, so Rey reached for the water, draining half the glass quickly. He was still smiling, his eyes not breaking from hers as he removed papers and a fountain pen from his bag. 

‘I hope you don’t mind, I brought a contract.’ 

Rey blinked. ‘I haven’t even been able to show you…’ 

Kylo pushed the paperwork towards her and shrugged lightly. ‘I’ve spent six months on this, and I’ve asked you all the questions I needed to know.’

Her eyes passed over the pages, lifting the paper gently to look on the other side and she swallowed at seeing the sum. For some reason, she felt very much like Vivian in Pretty Woman, even though this money wasn’t for her. 

‘This is so generous Mr Ren.’ There was a furrow in his brow, though his smile did not falter. ‘I promise we’ll put this money to good use.’ 

Kylo rubbed his lips together and leaned his chair back with a nod. ‘Two birds with one stone. We help the kids, and you meet your targets.’

‘You know, I’m really not supposed to talk about targets.’

‘I know what it’s like, I’ve done a job like this before.’

Rey had a hard time believing it, and snorted. ‘Yeah right. Remember I googled you, and that was absolutely not on your LinkedIn profile – that you had some lowly fundraising exec job.’ 

‘You can choose not to believe me,’ he murmured, a grin forming.

She chuckled and found herself tucking her hair behind her ears, meeting his gaze steadily. ‘Though I appreciate you coming here and doing this personally, even though I know you didn’t have to. You could have sent an intern.’

‘I wouldn’t have been able to meet you then.’ 

Rey narrowed her eyes, feeling suddenly brave. ‘If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you’re flirting with me.’ 

‘Maybe you don’t know any better?’ 

She smirked and leaned back, holding his gaze and breathing out steadily. Her eyes easily drifted to his lips, which were plush and pink. The kind of lips that deserved to be kissed. ‘It might be a conflict of interest.’ 

He nodded, though seemed rather unconvinced. ‘Perhaps, though you’d have to reciprocate my advances.’ 

Rey grinned and shook her head, straightening again and reaching for the paperwork. She glanced over it, feeling her cheeks heat as he continued to watch her. ‘Well you’ve at least convinced me to keep my job,’ she murmured, deciding to expose herself to distract him. ‘Between an anonymous donor who my desk mate fully believes is my secret admirer, and my boss increasing my budget, the last six months have been a complete mess for me.’

Kylo shifted in the chair, his long limbs clearly not adjusting well. ‘You have a secret admirer donor?’ 

Rey laughed and shook her head. ‘I think it’s someone playing a joke on me. A very rich someone, though even if they’ve made my job more difficult, they’ve also kept me from losing it.’ She leaned back in her chair and drank back the rest of the water. 

‘Why do you say it’s a joke if they are donating?’ he asked, and Rey realised that he wasn’t smiling anymore. 

She straightened and frowned. ‘If it’s purposeful, it’s dishonest. It becomes impossible to distinguish between a donation because someone cares, and a donation with an ulterior motive. Especially when the payments come with the reference of BSolo. Is that some creepy request that i stay single?’

‘Could just be their name,’ he responded tightly, looking away from her. 

Rey poured herself another glass and cradled it in her hands as she looked at Kylo. ‘It sometimes makes me feel like I’m not working hard enough – especially when I have no idea who the sender is.’ 

‘You’re working hard enough, I should know,’ he answered quickly, meeting her gaze and holding it tightly. 

She chuckled, her fingers curling the top sheet of her notepad. ‘Did I finally crack you?’ she questioned. ‘It only took six months.’ 

Kylo’s expression was stern. ‘You had me in the first two minutes, during that first phone call.’ 

Rey couldn’t see a lie there, and it made her nervous, her throat tightening as she held his gaze. She sipped at her water, before placing it in front of her, and smiling gently. ‘It’s nice to know you are that convinced of my skills, Mr Ren.’ 

‘Call me Ben.’

Her eyebrows furrowed and she watched him stand, holding his hand out again. ‘Get that paperwork signed before next week, yeah?’ 

She nodded, despite being confused, and when she took his hand, his grip was firm and it was him who took too long to let go this time, and Rey’s eyes followed him out, wondering why his final words had sounded very end of the line. 

When Rey went back to her desk, having packed up all her paperwork and carefully placed the contract in a plastic envelope for the legal team to review, she went over what Kylo had said. Not just about calling him Ben – which made no sense, other than it rhyming with his surname. But then also his suggestion that BSolo wasn’t some cryptic line from a stalker, but simply someone’s name. 

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned her computer on from sleep and typed in _ B. Solo _ online. It didn’t come up with many results other than an expensive headphone brand, and she sighed, staring at her screen again.

B.

**B.**

B.

On a whim she typed in _ Ben Solo _, almost laughing at herself for doing it, and she waited the millisecond as google loaded up the results. 

There were local newspaper articles from over five years ago, mentioning the son of a local senator – Leia Organa, and her husband, a local philanthropist called Han Solo. Mentions of a Ben Solo at Yale and Dartmouth and Rey’s brow furrowed at the wealth of information regarding the schooling of ‘child genius’ Ben Solo. It took her ten minutes of scrolling and clicking before she happened on his photos, and the resemblance was unmistakable. Sure he’d grown taller, filled out and grown his hair to cover his large ears, but it was Kylo.

So this is where all his information before the First Order had disappeared to – and Rey found herself going red at the fact that she’d practically called Kylo a stalker, but then she was angry at him, because he’d been donating for six months. Like some ill-advised knight in shining armour, who clearly knew she needed to up her intake or she’d be fired. 

Rey frowned, not quite sure what to think, but rather than stew in her own thoughts, she decided to compose a new message. 

_ Dear Mr Ren...or whoever you are, _

_ I probably shouldn’t comment on the strange circumstances of your fake name – since for all i know, you could be in witness protection, or running from...something, so I’ll just get straight to the point. _

_ There is nothing wrong with donating money. I can’t exactly say that your decision to donate was inauthentic, because you don’t seem like much of a liar and you were pretty honest with me, but I think if you are going to donate in future, don’t use my reference. It feels a little bit like a conflict of interest...though now even that sounds as if we are friends, when we barely know each other. _

_ Why were you doing this for me, by the way? Were you being serious when you said I had you in two minutes? I’m struggling to believe I’m that skilled...but then maybe I was right about you being a serial killer after all… _

_ Or have I gotten this entire thing wrong and you have just been, being a good Samaritan and I’m a narcissist? _

Rey sighed, and pressed send before she could even type out her signature or read it over again. It seemed better just to send him a stream of her consciousness and forget it ever happened. She would get the deal signed and that would be it. Rey was at least capable of picking her employment over the mysterious machinations of a rich man. 

Rose cleared her throat, pushing her chair out and grabbing her bag. 

‘Drink?’ 

‘Sounds amazing,’ Rey answered with a groan, pulling herself out of her chair. ‘Is Finn coming?’ she asked, pulling her jacket over her shoulders. 

‘He’ll meet us there,’ Rose answered, stretching her arms as they both moved through the door. ‘How did that meeting with serial-killer-Director-Ren go? You were awfully quiet.’ 

Rey sighed, her hands in her pockets. ‘I think he’s the one who has been donating those huge amounts.’ She mumbled annoyed. 

‘I thought you said First Order didn’t have a budget?’

‘No, like he was donating it. Out of his own bank account.’

Rose was silent for a moment, her nose turning up and eyes narrowing in suspicion. ‘Yeah, okay, that’s kind of strange. Maybe you were right about the serial killer thing.'

Rey sighed, and Rose narrowed her eyes, hearing less annoyance in the sound than she expected. 

'You don't seem very angry.'

She screwed her mouth shut, pouting. 'Well I had been mostly wrong about him before, so I feel like I'm jumping the gun on good intentions.'

'So are you saying that perhaps he is just socially inept, and thought this was a good idea? Or even just didn't consider that it was ill-advised at all?'

Rey shrugged. 'Maybe.'

'And he was cute.'

Rey began to nod, before she realised what Rose had said and she looked scandalized. Rose had already begun to laugh with vigour and Rey hid her face in her hands, groaning. 

'Your morals just go out the window when it comes to a pretty face.'

'It wasn't just that,' she murmured. 'He seems to really care and how often does that occur? Where an Outreach officer or even just a regular donor cares?' 

Rose nodded casually, agreeing somewhat. 'So you think he's at least honest in his intentions.'

'Maybe?' Rey sighed and rested her forehead against the wall. 'Or at least I want to convince myself that, that is my reality.'

Rose chuckled. 'He's that cute, then?'

'Roseeee,' Rey groaned. 'You're not helping.'

The young woman continued to laugh. 'I'll buy the first round, though I'd like you to know, if you date after the deal, it wouldn't be against company policy.'

Rey made a pained noise and heard the door close as Rose walked out first. 

The notification noise went off on her computer and Rey glanced up, peering carefully at the screen. It was as she expected. A reply. 

Her hand took up the mouse and she warily circled the email, before deciding to click it and read the screen. 

_ Rey, _

_ I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. That was never my intention. I meant what I said about you being very convincing. I didn't think I had been hiding my identity, though I see having two names has caused this issue. _

_ I can understand if you are wary of this deal now, but I won't be involved for long, so please don't refuse it on my account. _

_ I truly am sorry. _

He didn't sign off and Rey frowned as she read the email over again. The contract still sat beside her in it's folder and she removed it, giving it a read. The terms were in their favour completely; it allowed freedom in their choices with minimal intervention only financial backing. Kylo's signature was already at the bottom 

Rose came back, her brow raised. 'I was waiting at the elevator. What's keeping you?'

'I'm going to give this to legal.' Rey gestured to the contract.

Rose waited for Rey to continue, but she only sighed heavily. 

'Boo,' Rose pouted. 

Rey's eyes passed over the screen again and she closed it down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I find it hilarious that you guys are enjoying this so much, when I felt like this fic was terrible personal torture for SO LONG.  
Welp. Here's the conclusion.

Rey had the contract in her hands, signed and ready to send to First Order, though it had been Hux's idea for Rey to hand deliver it, despite her protests. Rose had considered that it would clear the air between her and Kylo for a better working partnership, but Rey felt it would make her crush worse, especially when she was intending to move on with her life. 

She stood uncomfortably in her too-high pumps at the reception of Kylo’s office, the receptionist looking down at Rey from her podium with a frown. 

'Mr Ren stepped down as Outreach Director this morning, though I can pass the paperwork onto his secretary.'

Rey frowned, handing over the manila envelope. 'Do you have a means of contacting him?' 

She shook her head and Rey backed up with a reluctant nod, making a slow walk back to the revolving door that led outside. 

A profound sense of disappointment hit her, and Rey wrung her hands as she began the walk back to her own office, wondering what this meant. Her feet ached by the time she was back in the Resilient Futures lobby, and she halfheartedly waved at the receptionist before noticing the occupied waiting area. 

Kylo was sitting there, looking rather awkward in his flash suit, his eyes on his hands as he twiddled his thumbs. He glanced up, blinking and pushing his hair behind his ears before he stood.

Rey stared at him as he approached and gestured outside. Despite her doubts, she followed after him, standing with her arms crossed against the mild weather as he stood across from her. 

'I heard you stepped down as director.' Even though Rey was annoyed, the words lacked any true punch. 

'I thought about what you said.'

Rey raised an eyebrow. She had said a lot of things, and it seemed that he was changing the subject. 

'About running for council. I just wanted to tell you that before I disappear.'

'So you have my vote?' She responded, still filled with confusion. 

He chuckled at that and shook his head. 'No, because it’s because of you. You changed something in me, even if it was unconscious. I've been an idiot for the last five years and it's about time I stop being one.'

Rey waited for him to continue, and she noticed him become awkward, squirming under her gaze. Kylo held out a hand then, likely for her to shake. 

'Let's start again,' he said. 'I'm Ben Solo, currently unemployed, but running for Chandrillan council.'

She surveyed him briefly before taking his hand, her own limbs feeling like jelly at the warmth and size of his grip. 

‘You could have sent me an email, or even called to say that,’ she murmured, her eyes on their still clasped hands. ‘Unless starting over as Ben Solo means you have a new business proposal for me?’ Rey narrowed her eyes shrewdly, though couldn’t bring herself to separate from his grip. Even she couldn’t deny the reason through her actions – that she couldn’t resist her attraction to the man in front of her – she could pretend to fight it with her own words. 

Ben smiled. 'If you go out for coffee with me, I’d like to make a different kind of proposal.'

'Are you buying?' She asked as if her responses to free things were set to automatic, and she closed her eyes, breathing hard, trying to fight her gently stuttering heart at his request. 

'I'm the one who doesn't have a job anymore.' He chuckled, and their hands finally separated; Rey able to breathe out in relief. 

She turned from him briefly, losing a battle with herself before looking back at him, her lips pursed together. 'I suppose you really were flirting with me, then.' 

'I thought I was being very obvious, though I didn't want to put you in an awkward position.' He added honestly. 

Rey snorted. 'My friend told me that if I went out with you after the deal, it wouldn't be against company policy.'

'You were going to go out with me?' He seemed quite enthused by the concept, much to Rey's amusement.

'I never said that.'

Ben snorted softly. 'Yet the implication is there.' 

'You are not what I expected.'

'What did you expect?'

Rey tilted her head. 'An asshole, honestly. In my line of work, it just seems like the common denominator.' 

He nodded. 'I can't fault you for that.'

'I think I was so convinced of what you were before I even properly spoke to you, that I feel like I should apologise.' 

'I wouldn't have known any different,' he responded with a smile. 'You are free to think badly of me.'

Rey narrowed her eyes. 'I can't tell if this is humility or a trick to get me to compliment you.' 

'I will happily accept compliments, regardless.'

'I'm beginning to think you are quite a dangerous man.' Rey responded, scratching her chin and beginning to walk away from the office building and towards the coffee shop a few doors away. 

'Why do you say that?' He asked, following. 

She stopped just at the entrance of the cafe, turning to him. 'Giving you an answer would probably create more problems for me.' 

'I think we're both in a bit of a predicament then,' he murmured, closer to her. 

Rey's eyes traitorously fell to his lips for a split second, and then back. 

'I'm not alone in this, am I?' He asked, expression earnest. Rey had never wanted to kiss someone more in her life. 

She swallowed and shook her head, being honest about her easy attraction to him. 'I wouldn't say so, no.'

'It can't be a completely terrible idea. We're both adults.'

Rey snorted softly. 'There are usually more steps between,' she murmured. 'We haven't even had coffee yet.' 

Ben nodded, considering. 

Somebody on the other side of the door pushed it open, not noticing Rey, and she stumbled back on her heels, letting go of the handle. Ben caught her with two hands and she took a breath and looked at him again. 

'If we can be honest with each other from now, I wouldn't say that's a particularly bad start.' 

Rey chuckled, rubbing her lips together in quiet contemplation. 'I want to know more about you. The actual you,' she murmured, forgetting all pretence. 

'I've thought of nothing else for the last six months,' he answered honestly. 'Right now, I'm still kind of confused that you've even agreed to continue speaking to me.'

Rey was silent for a moment, thinking, and then she nodded, backing away from the door of the coffee shop. 'Do you want to go to mine? I have wine that is probably shitty in comparison to what you usually drink, but there's a really good pizza place around the corner.'

Ben blinked, seemingly not believing what she was asking. 

'I like good pizza more than coffee,' she added, attempting to sound casual. 

'Yeah,' he said tightly. 'Yeah, I'd like that.'

Rey tried to rein in her smile, chewing on her bottom lip to do so. Her hand was reaching out to call a taxi, and they both bundled into the back, the space far too small for Ben's long legs.

They stopped at the pizza place and Ben stood awkwardly beside Rey with his hands in his pockets as she ordered, not able to take his eyes off her. She laughed easily with the staff, and managed to get them stuffed olives to eat while they waited. 

'You've gone quiet on me,' Rey questioned once they had two pizzas in hand, and were making the short walk to her apartment. 

'I'm a bit overwhelmed that this is happening,' he murmured.

Rey snorted. 'You make it sound like you've never gone to a girl's house before.'

He shrugged. 'The opportunity never presented itself.'

She raised a brow, and he continued. 

'Well I spent the entirety of my teenage years and early twenties studying, and then I was working.' He shrugged again. 'There wasn't much time for anything.'

Rey grinned. 'I like this,' she considered, making Ben raise his brow this time. 'It means that you have the opportunity to experience everything you missed with your new free-time.' 

'Not sure if I should be going to frat parties and doing keg stands in my thirties, Rey.'

She snorted, shaking her head. 'I didn't mean like that. You know, I think we should write you a list.' 

'Am I going to like this list?'

Rey rolled her eyes. 'We won't include the things you won't like.'

Ben watched Rey fumble in her bag for her keys, and then they were in the elevator and soon after, her apartment. 

Rey immediately rid herself of her coat and hung it on the back of the door, before taking the pizzas from Ben's hand, placing them on the counter and reaching back for his own coat. 

'Get comfortable, I'll get the wine.'

Rey kicked off her pumps, and went sifting through her kitchen, while Ben was able to look around the apartment, taking in the pictures that were scattered around the room, and the grey sofa that had about a hundred colourfully mismatched pillows on it. 

There was a glass of wine in his hand then and Rey was carrying the pizzas, and a notepad and pen to the coffee table. 

He followed, putting the glass down on the oak table, stripping off his suit jacket and loosening his tie before deciding to remove it completely.

'Shoes,' Rey said, grabbing the bottle of red from the kitchen and placing it beside the pizza boxes. About half of the cushions fell to the floor then. 

Ben slipped out of his brogues and watched Rey as she opened the pizza boxes and practically salivated.

'Okay, so let's multitask.' 

Rey reached for a slice and bit into it, turning to look at Ben with a raised brow. 

'Starting with the usual high school tropes, I suppose you didn't have time to have a girlfriend?'

Ben snorted at the easy intro into his young-adult failings. 'I didn't, unless making out with Marissa Scott behind the skating rink counts.'

Rey chewed, nodding. 'That is another trope down though, I suppose. No dry-humping in the back of your mum's car? Or getting handsy in the back rows of a movie theatre?' 

He choked on his first bite of pizza, his eyes widening. 'Do people actually do that outside of teen movies?'

She shrugged, laughing at his expression. 'I'm trying to gauge what your high school experience was like.'

'What about yours?' 

Rey hid behind her wine for a moment, trying to fight her smile. 'I definitely would have been your worst nightmare.'

'Why do you say that?' He raised a brow, sipping on his beverage. 

She grinned, resting her arm on the back of the couch and leaned her head against her hand. 'You were exactly my type, and I would not have let you forget it.' 

Ben chuckled, looking to the ceiling. 'I can't say my grades would have looked good if you were there either.' 

They were both silent for a moment, before Rey was reaching for another slice and topping up their glasses. After they had both gotten through one of the pies and a few more things on the list, Rey folded her legs underneath her, looking serious as she clutched the notepad. 

'College girlfriend?' 

Ben shook his head. 

'Taken recreational drugs?' 

He laughed and nodded. 'You can thank my dad for that one.'

'Gotten drunk enough that you've either blacked out, vomited or woken up in a stranger's bed?'

'Thankfully no. Aren't these supposed to be good things I've missed? Things that I might regret not experiencing?'

Rey poked him gently in the chest and he shifted back, covering the spot with his hand. 'Some people learn through suffering, Ben.'

'I feel like you could learn more easily from the internet.'

'That's not the point of this experiment.' She paused then, dropping the notepad on the table and taking her glass up. 'What is it that you feel you missed out on?'

Ben chewed slowly on another slice, thinking. 'Probably friends mostly. I got into charity work because for a long time it felt like my life had become this one man show, where only I mattered. I hated spending everyday thinking and talking only about myself, because I barely had friends, had no siblings or cousins and every conversation with my family devolved into what I would do with my life.'

Rey nodded, smiling gently. 'And then you spent so long thinking about others for once, that you eventually forgot about yourself?' 

He sighed. 'I'm thirty-two years old and I have little in terms of meaningful memories or connection.'

'Well you know what? That's going to change from today. You are free to do whatever your heart desires.' 

Ben huffed a laugh and leaned back. 'I suppose you're right.'

Rey smiled and moved forward, a hand tentatively reaching for his, her fingers grazing gently against his own until their hands were clasped together. 

'I'm glad I met you,' he murmured.

She nodded in agreement. 'Now that you're free, what are you going to do?'

'Besides running for council?'

'Yeah.'

He exhaled, eyes holding Rey's. 'I'd like to take you out some time. That's one.' 

She grinned.

'Maybe travel. Meet people in a non-work related way.' 

Rey chuckled. 'You're welcome to meet my friends, if you like.'

'Shouldn't you wait to say that until we know eachother better?' He asked. 

'I think putting you in a room with my friends would be the perfect way.' Rey stated. 'I don't know, maybe I'm only saying that because I feel good about you.'

He looked down at their still joined hands, fighting his smile. 'Yeah?'

Rey nodded. 'I wouldn't have invited you here if I didn't.' She let go of Ben and unfolded herself, standing up. 'Do you want ice cream?'

She didn't give him the chance to respond before she was digging out a tub of cookie dough and grabbing two spoons. When she sat back down, Rey was noticeably closer to Ben. Pulling off the lid, she handed him a spoon and attempted to melt the ice cream slightly by rubbing the tub between her hands. 

'I think this can count as our first date,' Rey murmured, digging into the tub with her spoon. 

Ben grinned, the expression filled with mirth. 'Maybe we'll go outside for our second date, then?'

'Do you have a balcony in your apartment?'

He laughed and Rey smiled as she spooned ice cream into her mouth. Ben took his own spoon and did the same, the pair of them eating in comfortable silence once more. 

'I have a question for you,' Rey started. 

Her lips were pursed and she tapped the spoon against her chin, seemingly waiting for him to answer instead of going straight into it. 

He nodded.

'What are your thoughts on dating etiquette?' Rey asked warily, swallowing. 

'Like who pays for dinner?' He asked. 'I can pay next time,' he stated with confusion. 

Rey chuckled and shook her head. 'Not quite my meaning, Ben.' 

He paused again and then Rey could see colour appear in his cheeks and he cleared his throat, scratching his temple. 'Oh...wow...yeah,' he muttered. 'I haven't really thought enough about it to form an opinion.'

She couldn't help laughing, her forehead falling against his shoulder, and then Ben was laughing along with her. 

'I wouldn't be against it,' he finally said, when Rey was holding her stomach, wheezing, melted ice cream all over her trousers. 

Ben put the almost empty pot on the coffee table and reached for napkins, attempting to hand them to Rey, though she was wholly ignoring the mess, and just watched him with a smile. 

'Good thing it's on mine and not yours. Your suit is probably dry clean only,' Rey murmured, letting Ben dab briefly at her knees when he realised she was not going to do it.

He met her eyes, noting that she was paying very little attention to what he was doing, and was simply watching him. Ben tilted his head, ready to ask a question when Rey leaned forward, their lips meeting. 

While Ben hesitated with the napkins crumpled in his hands, Rey's hand skimmed his shoulder, up his neck and stopped at his jaw. Her touch was light, yet not as light as their kiss, which wasn't much more than the soft caress of silk against skin. Even still, neither of them breathed. 

Rey pulled away, sitting back on her haunches, her expression far more serious than the situation required. 

'I want you to know to avoid any confusion, that you are welcome to stay here. Or you can go home, or we can go out.' 

Ben smiled, rubbing his lips together, his tongue slipping out to wet them, Rey's eyes pointedly on the action. 'I think I'd quite like to stay. Though don't complain when you can't get rid of me.'

'I wouldn't,' she grinned. 'So far you've been very good company.'

His hand lifted towards her. His thumb glanced across her jaw, traced her ear and then hovered over her bottom lip. Ben leaned forward this time, pressing their lips together with more force. Rey’s arms wrapped around Ben's neck as they kissed and it took little effort for him to pull Rey into his lap. They sighed in tandem, mouths parting for the other. 

His hand slipped up the back of her neck, fingers disturbing the knot in her hair and pulling it free until it poured down her back, the two of them distracted in the deepening of their kiss and their growing arousal. 

Rey took one of Ben's hands, slipping it under her blouse, giving him access to her uncovered breasts. They both groaned when his hand encompassed the entirety of one breast, his palm grazing her nipple and causing it to pebble while he squeezed it gently. 

She shifted over his crotch, gaining some satisfaction from the movement, and Rey's teeth catching on his lip as she gasped. Ben seemed to like the sound, and he pinched her nipple, eliciting a keen out of Rey that only set them both off further.

'Ben,' she panted, rubbing her crotch more roughly against his, Ben's other hand squeezing her ass as if it could give him purchase. As if it could anchor him to reality once more. 

They broke apart to breathe, staring at each other in wonder, lungs struggling to refill, eyes scattering. 

'Can we?' Rey asked with a breath. 

At Ben's nod she slipped from his lap, his hands chasing after her. Rey smiled, her hands out to grab his and pull him up. 

When he was standing and their lips were communing once more, Rey set about undoing the buttons on his cotton shirt, peeling it off his shoulders once it was done, and then her hands went to his trousers. 

Ben kissed Rey like he could take the oxygen from her lungs for himself, and she chuckled against his lips, trying to get her own clothing off and Ben wholly preventing her due to being stuck on kissing her. 

She managed to extricate herself for long enough to move them into her bedroom and she rid herself of her top. Ben paused at the door to look at her, before following her in and taking her small waist in his large hands, eyes grazing over the small tear drops that made up her breasts. 

'You can do more than just look, Ben.' Her voice was more strained than she thought it would be.

He took a deep breath and looked back up at her as her nimble fingers pulled the zipper on his trousers and moved to tug them down his thighs.

'I'm finding it really hard to concentrate on any one thing.' He responded.

When he began to step out of his slacks, Rey undid her own and Ben freed her waist to pull them off her 

'Should we stop? I don't have any condoms,' Ben said against her throat, teeth grazing the soft skin there. 

Rey turned to shuffle through her drawer, though Ben made it a struggle when he began kissing her again. His grip on her ass was bruising, while Rey's hand was in a drawer, searching for a box by touch alone. She pulled out a foil packet, Ben's erection hard against her stomach, him unconsciously rubbing himself against her. 

'God, you're so soft,' he groaned. 'I just—' he cut himself off and Rey smiled, her hand gripping at his waist band before slipping into his boxers. 'Shit,' he groaned as she wrapped her hand around his length, tugging it gently despite her grip being too small for his girth. 

'You're so big, Ben,' Rey whispered against his throat. She licked out to taste him and she heard him whimper, 

'I'm not going to last if you keep that up,' he managed.

Rey pouted and he kissed her again, chuckling while she took her hand back and pulled at his underwear. He did the same until they were both naked, Ben's hard length trapped between their stomachs spreading pre-cum across their skin, and the condom in Rey's grip. 

She angled Ben so the backs of his legs hit the bed and he sat back, Rey climbing over him as he moved up the bed, a smile on her lips. 

'When was the last time?' Rey asked with interest.

'It's been a few years.' Ben swallowed and leaned his neck back when Rey's lips drifted across his pulse point. 'I've been busy,' he added. 

She chuckled, straddling his thighs and sitting back on them. Ben's eyes dropped to her centre, seeing the sensitive skin glisten and he licked his lips. A hand slipped free of her waist to her stomach, his thumb diving past her navel through the thatch of dark hair and down towards her dripping core. He gently grazed her mons, and then dipped past her clit and down her slit, Rey swallowing and biting her lip. 'You're so wet,' he murmured, attempting to lean up, but Rey halting him with a hand against his shoulder. 

'We’ll have a lot more ground to cover in the future,' she said simply, her voice heavy with implication. 

He huffed, trying to steady his breathing. 'So you're already sure that we have a future?'

Rey grinned. 'Yes, very.' 

Ben mimicked her expression, his thumbs going back to rubbing circles into the place where her hips and thighs met, looking up at her with reverence as she tucked her loose hair behind her ears. Rey crimsoned at his attention, eyes glancing to the erection that stood alert between them and she tore the packet open, pulling the latex item free. Ben's eyes fell to her fingers as she slid it over him and then met his gaze. 

They were both quiet, senses alert, eyes not breaking contact as Rey pulled herself up and positioned herself over Ben with his assistance. She slid over him slowly, chewing on her lips and eyes closing involuntarily, gasping as she filled herself with him. 

'It's not too much?' He asked, his throat tight, and his nails marking crescent moons in her skin.

Rey groaned, releasing her bottom lip, finally bottoming out and wary eyes looking up at Ben. 

'God, you're so fucking beautiful,' he moaned. 

She couldn't help chuckling, feeling her walls constrict over him because of it and Ben jolted, his head tilted back into the pillows of Rey's bed.

'That's a pretty picture,' she murmured in response to seeing his pleasure. Then she found her resolve to begin moving, sliding along him gently while trying to temper her throaty groans. 

Ben's eyes were on her again, and he managed to sit up with Rey no longer pushing him back down. His hand gripped her hips as she moved, their lips struggling to gain purchase as Rey began to bounce over him, the two of them pressing their audible satisfaction into each other's skin. 

'Let me,' Ben asked shortly, lips at Rey's neck, teeth grazing her clavicle, and fingers pinching a nipple roughly, making it hard for Rey to breathe properly. 

She wasn't quite sure what she was agreeing to until they were separated for a moment, Ben turning them so he was on top, and pushing into her with more vigour.

Rey cried out, her arms around his shoulders, trying to use his large form as a means of grounding her to the earth. 'Ben,' she panted continuously, eyes squeezed closed. Her skin felt on fire as she climbed towards her peak, the world closing around her and Ben and their connection all that remained. 

'Rey,' he groaned, struggling to ease up on his pace. 'Is this okay?'

Her answer was another choked moan, arms loosening to slide down his back and up again, before her fingers tangled in his hair. Just a little more.

'Your hair is so soft? How?' She asked incredulously. 

Ben started laughing, his pace faltering, eyes meeting Rey's again. The action seemed to affect him and his rhythm grew more erratic. 'Fuck, I'm close.'

'Just...a…' Rey panted, seeing lights begin to spin behind her eyes as she closed in on her denouement. It took Ben putting his weight on one half of his body and a hand slipping between them, his thumb grazing her clit for Rey to tumble over. She stifled her cry into his shoulder as the world went bright, her body throbbing around Ben through his irregular thrusts. 

Rey groaned, Ben extending her orgasm by not taking his hand away, and then he shuddered, moaning and slowing to a stop, Rey feeling him steadily soften inside of her. 

Both their brows were damp when their eyes met again and they were both silent as they caught their breaths. Rey huffed, a smile turning up the corner of her mouth as her fingers drew circles on Ben's lower back. 

'You've got to let me go now,' he said with a laugh. 'At least for a little.' 

Rey reluctantly did and she watched as Ben slipped out of the bed, tying off and tossing the used condom into the trash. He disappeared from the room and Rey could hear her fridge opening. When he came back he had a glass of water in his hand.

'We still have wine,' she commented, taking the glass and drinking it back. 

He snorted and sat next to her, watching her as she sat up, straightening her back. 'Don't you have work tomorrow?' 

'I'll call in sick,' she grinned. 'I think my boss is quite happy with me these days.' Rey paused then, giving him a pointed look. 'No more donations under my reference.' 

'Yes ma'am,' he answered, his hands up in defence. 

Rey placed her empty glass on her bedside table and stretched her limbs, then climbed into Ben's lap, their skin sticking together. 

'Let's watch a movie. What kind of movies do you like?' Rey asked as Ben's arms wrapped around her waist, his chin falling to her shoulder. 

'Superhero movies.'

She grinned and moved from his lap, crawling from the bed and grabbing her dressing gown. 

'Perfect. We have nearly a whole pizza to get through too.' 

Ben chuckled and let Rey pull him up. He pulled on his boxers and the two of them went back to the sofa, wrapping themselves up in a blanket as they watched  _ The Dark Knight. _

The pair fell asleep on the sofa some time before the end credits, though when Rey woke up to her alarm clock the next day, both of them were tucked comfortably in her bed, Ben's arms protectively surrounding her. 

'Are you skipping?' He asked tiredly, his lips pressed to the back of Rey's neck.

'Ask me when I'm not sleepy.'

He chuckled and his grip tightened when Rey rubbed her backside over his crotch, seemingly without thinking.

Ben sucked softly on her shoulder and Rey sighed, deciding to turn over and face him. His eyes opened and he smiled dopely, looking satisfied when Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders and his hands went to her waist. He leaned forward to kiss her, and their lips met easily, gently. 

‘You make a convincing case for quitting my job,’ Rey said against Ben’s lips. 

He hummed. ‘I couldn’t let you do that. I’d prefer to do my best to treat you well the rest of the hours in the day.’

‘I like the sound of that.’ 

Ben grinned, nuzzling against her neck. ‘I know a couple of other sounds you might like. Sleep a little bit more first.’ 

‘You’re not my boss,’ Rey said, stifling the yawn that suddenly descended over her. 

He laughed, Rey deciding she liked the musicality of his laughter more than anything else she’d heard before. 

His lips were on hers again in a brief kiss that made Rey’s spine tingle, and her toes fight the soft material of the sheets beneath them. She relaxed, sighing softly with unbridled satisfaction, not complaining when Ben tucked her against him and his fingers combed soothingly through her hair until she was asleep once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, it's always hard for me to end a story, because I just want it to go on forever. To follow the characters literally till death. You guys will have to pry my dead hands from Reylo, seriously. Well. Thanks for reading. DO NOT ENCOURAGE ME TO WRITE AN EPILOGUE. PLEASE. please. plz. 
> 
> I have no self control.  
*embeds an image of Rolf staring out of a window*  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said to myself, let's write an epilogue. Instead this turned out to just be another chapter. SHIT. So I guess the epilogue is next. And somehow there is already 3k of that. -_- ALAS.

'I noticed you were uncharacteristically sick yesterday,' Rose said as soon as Rey’s backside had hit her desk chair. Rose’s brows shifted up and down and she winked. 

'So, I can't be sick one day in my life?' Rey rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the glimmer of a grin turn up her lips. 

Her friend stood and slid from one desk to the other, taking a seat on the edge of Rey's desk and narrowing her eyes. 'Because you'd never miss Lasagne Thursday. Even if you were on your deathbed.'

'I am not that obsessed with Lasagne,' Rey mumbled, clicking absently on her mouse. 

Her thoughts however were solidly on the day before. Ben and Rey had slept until mid-morning, showered together and then gone for lunch. The stack of pancakes Rey had ordered from the small all-day breakfast place Ben had taken her to, would likely be the highlight of her month. Well, other than Ben.

'You're so suspicious,' Rose said with a laugh. 'Hux came looking for you with a bottle of wine. Looks like the deal has gone through.'

'A part of me does feel like I cheated a bit.' 

'Because of your secret admirer being the instigator?'

'Maybe.'

Rose snorted and leaned in closer, her eyes lit up with excitement. ‘You spent the day with Director Ren, right?’ 

Rey looked back at her screen, a smile on her lips. ‘With my secret donor, actually.’ 

‘I thought you said that was Kylo Ren?’ 

‘Why should I tell you?’

‘You are so annoying,’ Rose answered with a chuckle, poking Rey in the shoulder. ‘I am your best friend, that’s why.’ 

Rey pouted and straightened. ‘Fine.’ She cleared her throat and Rose settled in, ready to hear what she had to say. ‘I spent the day with Kylo...though his name is actually Ben. He stepped down as the Director on Wednesday, so he wasn’t there when I went to First Order’s offices.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?’ Rose sounded outraged, and poked Rey again. ‘You could have called me literally any time during the last 36 hours.’ 

‘That would have been a bit difficult considering I was with him the entire time.’ 

Rose was ready to return with more ire, but paused, considering what Rey was saying and then she grinned, brows raising, and Rey could practically smell the salacious thoughts playing through Rose’s mind. 

‘I would say how could you if I wasn’t so proud. Calling in sick to spend the day fucking some guy.’

‘Shut up, Rose,’ Rey hissed, pinching her friend’s thigh. ‘Ben’s not just _some guy_.’ 

Rose laughed, sighing and standing once more. ‘Oh, you so owe me for this. Tonight, you’re buying three rounds. I know Finn will want to hear every juicy detail too.’ 

‘You guys are so disturbing.’ 

‘We are just very interested parties when it comes to your love life. Now bring your new boyfriend to see us so we can grill him like a fish.’ 

Rey groaned. ‘No, if you’re going to be like this.’

‘Come on,’ Rose moaned, pulling on Rey’s arm. ‘Just this one time.’ 

She paused in her pulling, which made Rey more suspicious, and then Rose was reaching for the cell phone that lay beside Rey’s keyboard, taking it up before running around the desk. 

‘Good thing you don’t know my password,’ Rey said with a grin.

‘You sure about that?’ 

Rose began typing and Rey narrowed her eyes, looking suspicious, and she stood, seeing Rose flick her thumb upwards and to the side. 

‘No fucking way.’ 

‘You are so predictable Rey. The zip code for the closest Burger King?’ 

‘I hate that you know that.’ 

‘Please bring him,’ Rose groaned, taunting Rey with her open phone, her thumb hovering over the dial screen on Ben’s number. 

Rey sighed. ‘Fine, fine. Though I am going to strangle you when we are out of this building and the cameras are no longer on me.’

She stuck her tongue out and passed the phone back, watching with excitement as Rey sent a quick message to Ben. 

‘I won’t forget this,’ Rey called to Rose across the room as she made a quick reply to Ben’s follow-up questions. 

Rose merely grinned and focused on her own phone, likely letting Finn know of the new developments. 

**XxX**

Rey practically ran out of the office when it hit 5:00, Rose calling out to her to slow down as she hastily tried to pack her bag. Rey made sure she got in the elevator first and hurried in her court shoes across the lobby and out of the front of the building.

Ben was waiting with his hands tucked in the pocket of his jeans, a loose knitted jumper beneath his khaki deck jacket and a raised brow at seeing Rey’s speedy waddle in her heels and pencil skirt. 

‘Maybe you should have changed into flats if you plan on racing your friends to the bar?’ Ben asked as Rey put an arm through his, beginning to drag him down the street. 

‘It’s so I can apologise in advance.’

Ben chuckled. ‘You said that you wanted this.’

‘That was before I considered the reality of it, as well as any potential embarrassment that might happen.’

‘You’re embarrassed of me?’ He asked, seeming to accept that fate.

Rey sighed. ‘No, I’m embarrassed of them.’

‘We don’t have to rush,’ he said, and he looked down at her, eyes narrowing. ‘Also, you forgot something.’

She raised her brow. ‘What’s that?’ 

Ben stopped walking, jolting Rey into halting too. ‘This,’ he said simply, his hands reaching to cup her jaw as he leaned toward her, pressing a kiss against her lips. Rey laughed against them, pulling him closer by his jacket lapels. ‘Hm, that’s better,’ he murmured, pulling on her low ponytail and taking Rey’s hand as they began walking again. 

‘Do excuse my friends, please. They don’t know just how crazy they are.’ 

He grinned. ‘I’m a big boy, I think I can handle it.’

Rey looked doubtful but nodded, her hand reaching across her to clutch Ben’s arm as their hands stayed clasped. 

‘I don’t mind too much considering I get to spend the weekend with you.’ 

She chuckled. ‘Any ideas of what we’re doing?’

‘I think we could work on a few things on that list.’ 

‘Getting handsy in the back row at a cinema?’ Rey questioned, lifting her brows suggestively, trying not to burst out laughing. 

Ben chuckled, closing his eyes. ‘Sounds like you missed that experience too.’ 

‘This is all truly for your benefit,’ she said innocently. Stretching up towards Ben, she received a quick kiss for her efforts. 

They reached the bar then, and Ben released Rey as he pushed the door open, eyes searching out seats and finding an empty booth in the back. 

‘I’ll get some drinks.’

Rey nodded and moved through, dodging chairs and other patrons before taking a seat and removing her coat and bags, sighing gently knowing it was finally Friday. Removing her phone, she saw there were five messages from Rose, displaying varying degrees of annoyance. Rey was ready to respond when she heard approaching footsteps and found Rose standing there beside Finn, her hands on her hips.

‘You are so dramatic.’ 

‘I wanted a good spot,’ Rey lied in return.

Finn started laughing and took a seat across from Rey, pulling Rose after him. ‘You have a lot to share, I hear.’ 

‘Rose must have told you most of it already.’

The woman in question huffed. They couldn’t converse any longer, as Ben approached with four pints balanced easily between his large hands. He placed them down and looked between the three of them. 

‘Ben, this is Finn and Rose. Finn, Rose, this is Ben.’ 

Handshakes were exchanged and Ben took a seat beside Rey, his mouth fixed in a smile, Rey knowing very clearly that it was somewhat forced. She glanced at her two friends, who were very busy staring at Ben, though Rey wasn’t quite sure at what.

‘Are you that shocked?’ Rey mumbled, sighing. 

‘I didn’t expect him to be so tall—’

‘Rey you have outdone yourself––’ 

The pair of them spoke at the same time, making Rey groan loudly.

Ben took up his beer, forcing himself not to laugh. ‘A slight exaggeration. I’m not that tall and I can’t agree with that second statement.’ 

‘Would you two stop being such weirdos?’ 

‘Hey, now that’s unfair,’ Finn frowned. ‘Rose is the one who’s been bullying you.’ 

She elbowed him in return. ‘You’re supposed to take my side.’ 

‘You did put that in your vows,’ Rey considered with a simple nod. 

Ben was smiling as he listened, and he glanced at Rey when he felt her take his hand in hers beneath the table. He drank back his beer, listening to the couple across from them bicker. ‘So, you two are married, then?’ He asked.

Rose smiled, nodding. ‘I do really look forward to hearing when you two will be married.’ 

Rey groaned out loud, though Ben only started laughing. ‘You are a fun alternative to an actual mother,’ she said with annoyance, knowing Rose was just trying to infuriate her. ‘Don’t listen to her Ben, her life’s goal is to torment me.’ 

‘I thought her life’s goal was to torment _me_?’ Finn stated, raising his brow and taking a long swig of beer. 

‘You both love it, stop complaining.’ 

Rey rolled her eyes, reaching for her beer. ‘I need to have way more alcohol for this.’ 

‘Your wish is my command.’ Rose slipped out from the booth and hurried over to the bar with her bag. 

Finn chuckled, scratching his temple, his elbow propped up on the table. ‘You won’t like what she comes back with.’ 

A waitress brought over two baskets of fries then and Rey grinned, completely forgetting her original issues. ‘Thank you,’ she said to Ben as she began dipping her fries in ketchup, letting go of his hand. 

‘What do you do then, Finn? I figured Rose is a Fundraiser too?’ Ben asked. 

‘I’m in the graphics team,’ he responded, swallowing a handful of fries. ‘Making the most of working in the same building before I move jobs.’ 

‘You got the job then?’ Rey asked with a grin.

Finn nodded, smiling just as wide. ‘Got the call this morning. No more leaflet and poster designing for me.’ He gestured his hand towards Ben. ‘What about you? Neither Rose nor Rey have told me anything.’ 

Ben chuckled, though was unable to answer when Rose sidled back into the booth, a tray of drinks in hand. There were four more beers and then shots; four of tequila, and four fireballs. 

‘So, you’re looking to commit murder tonight?’ Rey questioned out loud. 

‘He’s Kylo Ren,’ Rose stated, taking up her beer and sipping at the foam. 

Finn paused, brows screwed together. ‘The director from First Order?’ Ben nodded, looking rather awkward, though Finn went through an array of emotions, beginning at confusion and then ending with straight mirth. ‘Wow you really did outdo yourself, Rey. A director?’ 

‘Would you not, Finn? You’re just as bad as Rose.’ 

‘Why do you think I married her?’

Rey sighed and emptied her glass of beer. 

‘Rey told me that you quit. How come?’ Rose asked, finishing off her own beverage and grabbing another.

‘It wasn’t right for me anymore. I wasn’t doing everything I wanted to be doing.’ Ben answered honestly. 

Rose smiled, the expression gentle enough for Rey to notice the sincerity behind it. ‘So, what will you do now instead?’ 

‘I plan on running for city council.’ 

‘Change from within, then?’ Rose responded with a nod, liking the answer. 

‘Have you learnt everything you wanted to?’ Rey asked.

The pair of them shook their heads and Rose grinned. ‘What do you like most about Rey?’ 

Ben chuckled, reaching for his next beer. ‘I like that she cares. She’s honest and puts her whole heart into what she does. I liked her before I’d even met her.’ 

Rey tried to hide her reddening cheeks behind her new pint and looked far past her best friends and at the door leading to the bathrooms. Their eyes were on her anyway, and they laughed.

‘She can barely take it,’ Rose said with mirth. 

‘Shut up,’ Rey responded, the words weak. 

Ben was grinning, his hand reaching for Rey’s where it lay on the table, and he squeezed it gently. The action seemed to make Rose rub her hands together with glee and she drank more beer. Finn was just shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the woman next to him, as well as at Rey’s reaction. 

‘I’m glad you’re both having fun at my expense.’ 

‘It’s just nice to see,’ Rose stated, and began dishing out the shots. ‘Come, now let’s get wasted.’ 

The tequila and fireballs were followed by another round of tequila, one of vodka and on Rey’s orders, double gin and tonics. Rose and Finn went mumbling off together, stumbling into a cab and Rey and Ben stayed a little longer, deciding two burgers would suit them before they left. 

It was messy, considering they were both a few steps below completely drunk. They left soon after finishing their food, Ben hailing a cab to his apartment where Rey had left a bag the day before. He was the one giggling as they moved inside, Rey’s expression serious without reason. 

The doors to his home opened and Rey had her coat and shoes kicked off before she’d made it half-way to his open-plan kitchen. She yawned and Ben followed, still tittering behind her as he began pouring them glasses of water from the faucet. Rey drank hers back greedily and sighed. 

‘That wasn’t too terrible, was it?’ Ben asked. 

Rey shook her head, then struggled to stop the movement, before Ben did for her by holding her head in his hands and laughing. 

‘Let’s get you to bed, okay.’ He said gently, smoothing the loose hair at her temples.

She smiled, leaning forward and clutching the knit of his jumper at his waist, before resting her head against his sternum and letting out a long sigh. 

He walked them to his bedroom and Rey sat on the edge of his bed, letting Ben unbutton her blouse and unzip her skirt. When she’d taken off her bra, he pulled one of his t-shirts over her head and she scooted up the bed, lifting the covers over herself. 

‘You’re not going to wash your face or brush your teeth?’ He asked, chuckling.

She groaned and got up again, fumbling through her bag and then blindly walking into his en-suite bathroom. 

Ben changed quickly into his loose sleep trousers and followed after Rey, washing his face and brushing his teeth, even if his head was still spinning with the amount of alcohol in his system. 

He turned off the bathroom light and Rey was in the bed, having claimed two of his pillows, one under her head and another clutched tightly in her arms. Ben flicked off the bedroom light and got in after her, taking the pillow from her arms despite her complaints, and then pulled her against him, her arms wrapping around him instead. 

‘I really like you, Ben,’ she murmured against his chest tiredly. 

‘Hmm, me too,’ he agreed. 

Rey moaned, poking him. 

‘I really like you too,’ he amended, chuckling lightly. He kissed the crown of her head and she pulled against him more tightly.

**XxX**

Ben blinked awake to see Rey sitting beside him with a wide smile. She had a cup in her hand, her hair wrapped up in a towel, and still wearing the same t-shirt he’d put her in. 

‘You’re up before me?’ Ben asked. He was glad for the low-light, because he felt his head pulse gently with the beginnings of a headache.

‘I wanted to wake you up this time,’ she said. 

When Ben eventually pulled himself into a sitting position, she kissed him quickly and then placed the cup in his hand – a latte – and handed him an aspirin. He took both and watched her, impressed by how little she looked like she was in the midst of a hangover.

He sipped at his coffee and Rey moved off the bed, reaching into her bag and removing her moisturiser. 

‘How long have you been up for?’ 

Rey shrugged, pouring some of the solution into her hands and rubbing it into her limbs. ‘An hour or two. I made some breakfast if you want.’ 

‘I do, I’d really love that.’ 

She chuckled and once she’d finished with the moisturiser, stood and hurried out of the room. Rey returned with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, the salt and pepper shakers precariously balanced on the edge of the tray. ‘I supposed any boyfriend of mine would like scrambled the most.’ 

Ben gently, beaming at Rey as he took the tray. ‘You ate?’ He asked, putting his coffee on his side table and picking up the fork.

‘Yeah, I was starving and couldn’t wait.’ 

He smiled and began eating, Rey watching him tentatively, waiting for his reaction. He didn’t make a face, so she assumed it was fine as he sprinkled more pepper on the eggs and took a bite of his buttered toast. 

‘I could get used to this.’ 

Rey laughed. ‘Well considering I’m the employed one, you’ll have to be the house-husband. Maybe I’ll make you breakfast on weekends.’

‘I’d happily live my life just pleasing you,’ he returned with a grin. 

She kissed him quickly and stole a bite of his toast before standing up again. Ben could see she was wearing a pair of his underpants too. They were far too loose on her hips, so she had tied them at the waist.

‘You haven’t found my dresses yet, then?’ 

‘Are they fancy gowns?’ Rey asked, moving towards his closet. It was massive and full of clothes; more than Rey had expected. It seemed Ben liked dressing up more than she had foreseen. 

He finished his eggs and reached for his latte again before wiping his hands and mouth on a napkin, placing the tray on the side table and standing from the bed. Rey’s fingers flipped through the rails, smiling at the few colourful jumpers he had inside. 

‘My charity benefit days are over,’ he murmured, standing behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder, his arms moving around her. ‘You washed your hair with my shampoo?’

‘It smells nice,’ she stated simply.

‘Shall I braid it?’ 

Rey turned in his arms quickly, eyes wide. ‘You can braid?’ 

Ben nodded. ‘My mum has a bad shoulder, so I used to do it for her.’ 

She grinned and nodded, taking a seat at his dressing table. Rey was already distracted by the accoutrements across the surface – cufflinks, watches, a comb (which he picked up) and a little jar full of mints. She took a mint and sucked on it while Ben removed the towel on her head and began combing through her hair. 

‘When did you last see your mum?’ Rey asked. 

Ben was silent for a moment, just combing her hair, but was forced to answer when Rey narrowed her eyes at him through the mirror. ‘Last year. I... there isn’t really an excuse for why. The last time I saw my parents in a personal capacity was before I worked for First Order.’

‘You really did neglect yourself,’ Rey murmured aloud, sighing lightly. ‘Are you going to tell them of your plans?’ 

‘I think my mum will eventually find out, considering she’s still a senator.’ 

Rey frowned. ‘You should tell them. There’s no reason not to, right? Or don’t you want to have a relationship with them again?’ 

Ben put the comb down and began dividing her hair up. ‘I want to,’ he answered, his voice low. ‘Hasn’t it been too long, though?’

‘I wouldn’t say so,’ Rey shrugged. ‘They’ve known you the entirety of your life. I’m sure they’ve missed you.’ 

He was silent for a moment, fingers deft as he began braiding her hair. ‘Okay, I’ll think about it.’ 

Rey nodded, and watched as he worked on her hair, impressed by his skill and the intricacy of the patterns he began weaving into her hair. She only had two hairbands, so he pulled the smaller braids in a coronet and then a spiral before tying it all into a bun. 

‘This is so cool,’ she said breezily, trying to look at her hair at various angles. 

Ben grabbed for the dregs of his latte, downing the rest before accepting Rey’s hug that came barrelling towards him a moment later. 

‘I definitely shouldn’t get rid of you,’ she stated. 

He chuckled, his forehead resting against hers. ‘I’d hope not, because as I said last night, I really like you.’ 

Rey grinned and pulled him towards her in a kiss, and then laughed as Ben took to lifting her up and dropping her on the bed. ‘Let me treat you in return for breakfast,’ he smiled, a devious glint in his eye. 

She watched him, a brow raised, but then his hands were undoing the knot on the underwear she was wearing, and he kneeled as he pulled Rey towards him at the edge of the bed. His thumbs rubbed circles on the inside of her thighs as he pulled them apart and raised her legs to go over his shoulders. Rey’s eyes widened, her fingers tight on the sheets as he blew air against her naked core and smiled up at her. 

‘I wouldn’t say that’s a fair trade,’ she rumbled, her eyes closing at Ben’s gentle touch. 

‘What would be fair?’ He asked, blowing more air against her, his hands tight on her thighs as he brought her closer to him. 

His nose nudged against her clit as he leaned forward, and Rey twitched beneath him, sighing gently when he kissed her centre. 

‘Maybe this will do,’ she answered, giving up her speech. She stifled her moan with a bitten lip when she felt Ben’s tongue trace her opening delicately and then lick upwards towards the most sensitive part of her. His tongue wrapped around the swelling pearl and he sucked it gently into his mouth. Rey’s fingers tightened on the bed sheet, and she squeaked through her closed mouth. 

Rey found herself mumbling his name as he continued. His mouth, lips, tongue, nose working her up steadily towards her climax. His hands massaged her legs and she couldn’t resist relaxing into his light touch; revelling in the peacefulness of it, and how he softly handled her. Her climax came to her with another simple caress, and Rey found herself constricting over his tongue, a stuttering sigh leaving her lips and her fingers tangled in his hair. 

Ben stood up, lying on the bed beside Rey as she blinked up at him, smiling dazedly. She reached for him, kissing him as gently as he had been kissing her, and her fingers finding his hair again. 

‘You’re really good at that,’ she said, her voice light.

‘I’ll make sure to do it often then,’ he supplied. 

She chuckled and kissed him once more. Her hand absently slipped between them, dipping into the waistband of his sleep trousers and finding him hard—the velvet skin of his cock warm against her palm. 

He huffed against her lips, a short, longing whine leaving his mouth as she seemed to feel out the shape of him, her thumb rubbing along the tip, spreading the wet liquid that had sprung there. 

‘How would you like me?’ She queried. There was teasing in her tone, and Ben’s eyes blinked open, meeting her eyes as she casually went about pleasuring him. There was a disconnect between the patient way she looked at him waiting for an answer, and the confident, steady tug of her hand. 

Ben let out a groan, his hands finding her waist and then slipping beneath the t-shirt she wore. 

‘Ben,’ she asked musically, moving closer to him until her chest was pressed against his, his hands caught a few inches away from the base of her breasts. ‘You really want to finish in my hand?’ 

He grunted, trying to chase away his raising heartbeat. ‘No,’ he said quickly, gruffly. 

Rey chuckled and slowed to a stop. Ben pushed her back lightly, pulling the t-shirt up but not off from her torso and his hands immediately reaching up to hold the small weight of her breasts in his palms. She was ready to repeat her question when he lowered his head, lips brushing soft kisses against her sternum and then parsing over one of her breasts, his tongue reaching out to lick at her nipple. She felt it tighten and he watched as it pebbled, his thumb smoothing over it before he pulled it into his mouth. 

She gasped as he sucked on her chest with the same force, he’d used to bring her to climax five minutes before. One hand drifted over her stomach and dipped between her thighs, and she squeezed his hand as he pressed a finger inside of her. 

‘That’s not fair, Ben,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘It’s your turn now.’ 

He shook his head, pulling on her nipple, it grazing against his teeth as he set to spreading what was left of her climax, as well as her steadily building arousal around her entrance and towards her clit. The little bundle of nerves was still sensitive as his knuckle bumped against it and Rey twitched. 

She could feel Ben suck harder on her chest, then he added another finger and she cried out, her thighs automatically tightening on his wrist. 

‘If you’re going to do that, you might as well use your cock,’ she groaned, faintly trying to gain some control back by her hands pulling at his trousers. 

He leaned away from her reddening chest and smiled, eyes clouded with sheer elation. ‘Hmm, maybe you’re right.’ 

She chewed on her lip until he finally retreated, and she was freely able to pull at his trousers. Ben reached behind him for his drawer and pulled out a condom, while Rey set about straddling his legs. She took the object from his hands, tearing it open and rolled it over him, making sure to take her time. 

‘This is a really good view,’ he murmured, his eyes roving up to her face. Rey chuckled, leaning forward to press an easy kiss to his lips, humming happily at feeling his erection between their stomachs. 

Ben pulled the hem of the t-shirt up and Rey lifted her arms until it was lying on the floor beside them and he had easy access and view to her bare chest. Rey could see the bruises that bloomed across her skin and Ben seemed to trace them with his gaze, his hand absently slipping between her thighs again. 

‘Ben,’ she chided, though laughed at his constant eagerness to touch her there. 

‘It’s like a reflex,’ he murmured, thumbs massaging circles into her hips. 

Rey grinned and leaned forward, adjusting the both of them until he was lined up with her and she pressed forward, taking him inside of her and stilling when he was settled fully within her. 

Her hands gripped onto the sheets on either side of their hips and Ben’s hands went to knead her ass, wetting his lips as he waited for Rey to move. 

She keened as she pulled herself along his length and then back down again, Ben’s hands all over her, touching and kneading anything he could reach, while lightly thrusting into her and meeting her movements. 

Rey’s hands moved, leaning further forward to grip the headboard, giving Ben easy access to her chest. She moaned when one of her nipples was in his mouth again, and she lost rhythm when his free hand slinked between them again, his thumb rubbing at the sensitive nub. 

‘Ben,’ she panted. ‘That’s too much.’

He shook his head. ‘Just enough,’ he grit out.

She felt herself orgasm quickly around him and she stuttered to a stop, her arms weakening as she came. Her contracting walls caused a peal of expletives to fall from Ben’s mouth, and he slipped from her. Before she could ask whether he had come, he was turning them around, lifting her leg around his hip and pushing into her again. 

Rey looked to the high ceilings of his bedroom, biting harshly down on her bottom lip, attempting to restrain her moans, even if Ben easily pulled them from her as he set a faster pace. 

‘You okay?’ 

She nodded, trying to formulate a sentence as she careened towards her third orgasm, and feeling like she was about to combust into flames. Rey near shrieked at a particularly hard thrust and she grabbed onto Ben’s back for some semblance of support as he drove into her. 

He began to say her name, quietly against her throat, then growing more audible as his rhythm became more erratic.

‘Are you close?’ she asked, stars dancing across her vision.

Ben nodded against her neck, his breathing little more than huffs until he groaned, slowing and finishing. Rey finding herself falling after him to the gentle thrusts that were little more than twitches from Ben’s climax. 

They merely breathed heavily, most of Ben’s weight on Rey as their heartbeats began to settle and Rey combed through the knots in Ben’s hair with her fingers, pressing kisses to his forehead and temple where they rested near her clavicle. 

Eventually they separated, Ben discarding of the condom and laying on his back, eyes on the ceiling before they were on Rey again as she curled next to him on the bed-sheets. 

‘I might need another shower,’ she murmured. 

Ben rolled over, their noses touching. ‘Can I keep my hands from you for an entire day, though?’ He queried.

Rey chuckled, reaching to kiss him and finding she couldn’t keep it brief when Ben’s hand was on the back of her head, holding her close and sighing against her mouth, drinking her in. 

‘You’ll give me a fever if you keep raising my temperature so much,’ she said in jest, her thumb stroking his ear lobe. 

He hummed, smiling. ‘I’ll nurse you back to health.’ 

She chuckled and kissed him again, not tiring of it, especially when his hand gently cupped her face and his aquiline nose bumped against her cheek. When she pulled away again, she kissed the tip of it and smiled. 

‘Let’s get dressed and cause some mayhem,’ Rey requested, finally breaking free of Ben. He looked disappointed at not having her there anymore, but followed her up, and let her push him into the bathroom for a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I do for you guys and for reylo. Epilogue next, I suppose. SIGH.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think ;)


End file.
